Equestrian toy vehicle



I. A. BURNETT.

EQUESTRIAN TOY VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED 0130.8, 1919.

1,345,578 mentalMy 6, 192m.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

umrsns'raras trier...

Jinan. remannrtr, or ci-ircaeo, rririinors.

minare i all :LUZLO'HL it may coaccra 1' l 3e 1t known that I, IRA A..lBrmnnrr,a citizen of the United States,-resid1n at Chicago, in thecounty of Cook and: tate construction, novel arrangement, combinationand operation ofythe various. parts thereof as will be hereinafter morefully set forth and specifically claimed.

The principal objectof the invention is to provide a riding toy orvehicle in the form of a miniature horseor pony mounted on a wheeledframe, which can be propelledand steered by a child sitting astride thebody of the horse, the legs and head of which will be caused, in thepropulsion of thevehicle to move in a life like manner or natural way,the simulation of the speed at which the animal appears tobetravelingbeing indicated by the rapidity of the movement of its legs,which movement is caused and regulated by the rider. i

Another object of the invention is toprovide means whereby the devicecan be eco nominally made, the parts easily assembled and the majorportion of the propelling mechanism thereo-fhoused or inclosed, to

the end that liability of the childbeing injured thereby, or itsclothesbecoming entangled therewith will be reduced to a minimum.

Other objects and advantages of theinvention will be disclosed in thefollowmg explanation. and :description.

In the accompanying drawings, Wl11Cl1 serve to illustrate an embodimentof the in vention l igure 1 is a View in sideelevation of the toyvehicle showing the legs of the horse in one of the positions they willassume in the movement of the vehicle. i i

Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view,

through the body of the horse taken. on line 2-2 of F 3 lookingin thedirection indicated bythe arrows but showing the sup porting frame inelevation.

3 is a plan sectional view+talrenon line 3-8 of Fig. 2 looking in thedirection indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 4 isa cross-sectional View taken on Specification of LettersPatent. Application filed members, 191a neunsrnran TOY VEHICLE.

Patented duly t1, i-eao.

' Serial No. 343,159.

i one of the legs of the horse showing the means forconnecting the partsthereof together atits joints.

*ig. a cross-sectional view of aimodifled form of the body of the horsebut with the interior mechanism thereof removed, and

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan View thereof.

Like numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout thedifferent .views of the drawings.

lieferring now more particularly to Figs 1 to 6 inclusive of thedrawings, the reference numeral 10. designates the base or lower portionof the supporting framewhich as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is in the formof a long narrow bar having at: its rear end a pair of prongs 11 onwhich is horizontally and transversely mounted an axle 12 for the rearwheels 13 of said frame, which are journaled on said axle near its ends.Rigidly mounted on the axle 12 between the prongs 11 of the frame 10 isa sprocket wheel 14f around which is extended a sprocket chain 15 whichalso passes around a sprocket wheel 16 located at a point about thelongitudinal middle of the lower portion of the body of the horse andmounted in the presently explained.

supporting frame is extended upwardly and forwardly as at 1.7 and isprovided at its front end with a downwardly extended buffer or fenderl8. Vertically journaled in the front portion of the base 10 is asteering post 19 which has in its lower portion a pair of spaced apartprongs 20 between which is mounted on an axle 21 journaled in.

the lowerends of the prongs 20, a wheel 22 used for supporting the frontend of the base 10 and for steering and for turning the vehicle inthedesired direction.

Fixed at its lower end to the base 10 near the rear end of the upwardlyand forwardly extended portion 17 thereof isya tubular standard 23 whichextends upwardly and is rearwardly inclined as is clearly shown in:Figs. land. 2 of the drawings. Connected at its front end to thestandard 23 at a point about midway between its ends is a brace member24 which is extendedrearwardly in a horizontal plane from the standard23 and then downwardly in a rearwardly in clined direction as shown inFig. 2and has its'lower end secured to the upper surface of. the baselOat the frontendsor juncture of the forks 11 of said base. The base 10,standard 23- and brace member 24 constitute the main or supporting frameof the vehicle as will be readily understood. The standard 23 isprovided in its lower front portion with an. openingor.semi-circular-slot 25 for the reception and; operation of a steering rod26 which, is extended through the opening 25' and up through the tubularstandard and i has at its upper end a handle 27 by means of which it canbe turned.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2the rod 26 is provided with an elbow 28 at itsportion l0- cated in the-opening 25 and is extendedforwardlyandpivotally connected at its lower BIIClitO; a. crank 29 ontheupper end of the steering post 19 for the front wheel 22 of the vehicle.Mounted onthe uppersurface of the horiZontal-portionofthe brace member24 are apai'r of spaced apart screw bolts 30 around each of which isacoiled spring 31 which rest atone of their ends on the brace 'member24-andat their other ends against the lower surface'of'a board 32 whichis pro- I vided near each ofits 'endswith a suitable opening to 'recelvesa1d bolts. The board or through the apertures of the lugs 34 and 35 andthus pivotally connects them together so asto permit of atiltingmovement of the board 32longitudinally withrespect to' the supportingframe, the springs 31 yieldingsufliciently to permit of such movement atthe desired" time.

By reference to Fig. 4 of the drawings, it will-be seen that the bracemember 24 is quite narrow while the board 32 is of suflicient widthtorest against the inner surfaces ofthe sides of the body of the horsewhere it may be secured by any suitable means.

Secured to the lower surface of the horizontal port-ionjof'tlie bracemember'24 di-' rectly under the plate 36thereon is a depending hanger'38 in which is transversely journaled a shaft 39'on which is mountednear 7 one sideof the hanger38'a sprocket wheel '40; over which asprocket chain 41 passes,

whichchain also passes over a sprocket horizontal portion 24 of thebrace member and strides the hanger 38 as is clearly shown 111 Fig. 2 ofthe drawings, in which view, as well' as in Figs. 1, 4 and 5 it will beseen .that .the crank or pedal shaft 43 is located transversely at thelower middle portion of the body of the horse and has at each of itsends a crank 45, each of which is by preference provided with a pedal 46or foot rest for the feet of the child or rider of the horse.

The shaft 39 unites the opposite sides of the body of the horse and maybe suitably secured thereto so as to assist the tilting member 32 inholding said sides together. The sprocket wheel 16 above referred to ismounted on the shaft 43 between the sprocket wheel 42 and the hanger 44and is geared to the sprocket wheel 14 on the rear axle by means of thesprocket chain 15 as is ings. 4

The body and neck of the horse, in the present instance, is shown asconsisting of two side pieces 47 and 48 which are counterparts of oneanother and are fashioned to resemble in outlines the figure of aminiature horse or pony. These side pieces 47 and 43 may be made of anysuitable material such as papier mach and hollowed on their innersurfaces as shown to aiford when joined together at their meeting edgesa housing for that part of the propelling mechanism located therein.

It will be understood that the edges of the upper part of the sidepieces 47 and it; of the body of the horse, as well as the lowcr edgesor belly portion 49 thereof. will meet and may be secured together byccmcnt or otherwise after they have been placed on the supporting frameof the vchiclc. in order .to providemeans for the operation of the drivechain 15 and for the reception of the upwardly extended standard 23 andthe upwardly extended portion of the brace member '24 the lower meetingedge of each of the side pieces 47 and 48 is provided with cut-awayportions 50, 5]., and 52 for the said parts respectively, whichconstruction is clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The tubularstandard 23 extends at its upper end through a suitable opening 53 inthe upper part of the neck of the horse and may be secured in saidopening in any suitable manner.

It will be observed by reference to the last named figure that theopenings 54). 51 and 52 in the lower portion of the body of the horse orin the meeting edges of the sides thereof areof sufiicient size topermit of slight longitudinally tilting movement of the body of thehorse on the pivot 37 of the clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4 of thedrawto said connections of the legs to impart pivlast named shaft to thecrank shaft, and a steering rod connected, at one of its ends to thesteering post and extended upwardly through the said body.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a supportingframe including a horizontally disposed base and a support extendedupwardly therefrom, of a drive shaft transversely journaled 011 the rearportion of said base, a pair of wheels on said drive shaft, a steeringpost vertically journaled in the front portion of the base a wheelmounted on said post, a crank shaft transversely journaled on the upperportion of the support of the main frame but below said portion, meansconnecting the crank shaft and the drive shaft for transmitting rotarymotion from the former to the latter, a horizontally disposed memberpivotally mounted on the upper portion of the support of the main frame,a transversely disposed shaft mounted on said support above the crankshaft, gearing uniting said shafts, a body in simulation of the body ofa horse inclosing said pivoted member and secured to the same andterminating above the crank shaft, and a steering rod connected at oneof its ends to the steering post and extended upwardly through the frontport-ion of the body.

IRA A. BURNETT.

